


Ghost

by MidnightTaff



Series: Origins [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Original Work, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Background - Freeform, Backstory, Dark, Drug Use, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Experimentation, Mental Health Issues, Origin Story, Origins, Suicide, cussing/swearing, dark themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-26 14:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6243247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightTaff/pseuds/MidnightTaff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“If you ever lose control, if it becomes too much, you promise me that you’ll run. Run far away from here, from your family. You run and find somewhere safe and don’t look back.”</p><p>“I promise"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1996

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first story in what is going to be my Origins series, a series of about 3 chapter long origin stories to some of my original characters that I'm not quite sure what to do with yet, but want to work more with in the future. These will also allow me to explore and improve my writing more before I get into more serious and longer works, as well as better explore the characters and how to write them, as well as get a better idea of how I want to develop them.
> 
> I would love some constructive criticism in the comments, especially as English is not my first language.

It had just been a regular day, for Kylie at least. School had only recently started back after the summer holidays, and it was safe to say that most of the students there weren’t quite ready to let that freedom go quite yet.

That was how it started, really. Just kids messing around, playing during lunch time. What had started out as a simple game of tag had ended up in an argument about who was ‘it’. As per usual, this quickly escalated into a fight.

Kylie had seen it coming, but she wasn’t ready to fight back, she hadn’t thought that far ahead. So instead, she simply raised her arms above her head and curled in on herself as well as she could while standing up, a subconscious self defence mechanism. She heard the teacher that was currently patrolling the playground yell and start running towards them, but knew that she wouldn’t get there in time. At least not to stop the first blow. But it never came.

In fact, the entire playground had fallen silent. The entire town seemed to. Kylie couldn’t hear anything. No footsteps, no voices, no cars, nothing. Had he already hit her? Had she been asleep the whole time? Was that all just a dream?

Taking the risk, she opened her eyes, and found the word frozen. Not literally, there was no ice, even if it was quite cold already. But nobody was moving. The boy in front of her had been stopped mid-punch, she could see the facial expressions of her fellow students easily, could see who cared and who was just being entertained. The teacher had been mid run as well, seemingly caught between concern and frustration about the entire ordeal.

Next, Kylie risked moving. Nothing changed. Turning around, she went to face the street. There were no cars there, but it wasn’t a large town in the first place. But there were people who were walking, talking. Or, at least they had been, but they were frozen too, just like the people behind her. Kylie stepped back in her shock, and in doing to accidentally walked right into the fist of the boy who had been trying to punch her.

Then everything started again.

The punch sent her flying to the ground, the boy having got a much better angle on her now that she had turned away from him. But she didn’t care that the teacher had shoved him aside to tell him off, didn’t even notice when another knelt next to her to check if she was alright. No, all she could hear was the voices.

There were so many, they were so loud, it was almost as if they were in her head. She couldn’t take it. Kylie let out a scream as she raised her hands to cover her ears. She pressed as hard as she could, but it hardly made a difference. If anything, it simply made it worse.

“ _Shut up!_ ” Kylie yelled, but again, they only got louder. “ _Shut up!_ ”

“Kyler, nobody’s talking.” The teacher told her, calmly, a touch of worry in her voice. Everyone had gone quiet after Kylie’s first scream, but she didn’t seem to hear her teacher either.

“ _Stop it!_ ”

Kylie didn’t know what happened between then and when her parents arrived, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It had surely only been minutes, half an hour at most, but it felt like so much longer. The school had probably phoned home, told them that there was something wrong with their daughter, ‘ _something wrong in her head’_.

That’s what they were saying, she could hear it, she knew she could. She wasn’t crazy. But they wouldn’t listen to her, they just kept going. That’s why she leapt into her Daddy’s arms the moment she say him.

“Daddy, make it stop!” Kylie cried as he caught her, quickly pulling her up to his chest and stroking her hair in a comforting way. But no words came out of his mouth either, his voice got lost in the sea of voices that took over her mind. Until he touched her temple, then his voice drowned out the rest. They were still there, of course they were, but his was louder.

‘ _What’s wrong with her?’, ‘Does she need a doctor?’_ It was similar to what the other voices seemed to think, although his was clear enough now for her to hear properly. The thought only made her frown more as she buried her face into his chest, keeping her small hands over her ears.

 _There was nothing wrong with her._ It was them who were wrong, she was sure of it.

Kylie didn’t notice when her Daddy began walking away, nor when she was sat down and strapped into the car, she didn’t even feel it starting or her parents talking, probably to her, perhaps to each other. She couldn’t even tell anymore, couldn’t hear anything other than the voices in her head.

Not until her baby brother began crying.

“See, even Sean’s worried about you!” Her Mammy told her, concern leaking from her like waves. Kylie frowned even more. She didn’t like it when Sean cried. She was the oldest, she was meant to look after him, meant to look strong. That’s why, despite her own pain, she didn’t hesitate to stretch out one arm and stroke his head, much like their Daddy had done to her earlier. She wanted to comfort him, to make sure that he was alright, to s _how_ that she was fine, that it was them that were over reacting. _She wasn’t crazy._

It was that simple touch that seemed to dull everything else once more. The waves of voices seemed to die down into whispers as _feelings_ seemed to creep into her mind. But they weren’t her own, they were Sean’s.

“He’s not worried.” Kylie said, calmly, earning her a strange look from her parents. “He’s confused, he doesn’t like being confused.” She continued, making eye contact with her father as he turned to face her from the passenger seat.

“How do you know that, _a thaisce*_?” Her Daddy asked, his face frozen in what looked like concern and, fear? Kylie couldn’t tell anymore, she couldn’t hear him, not r _eally_.

“I can feel it.” She replied, seeing nothing wrong in this statement. It was the truth, and they seemed to know that. If the look they shared wasn’t enough, then surely the thought they seemed to share did. Kylie could hear it loud and clear, even as she concentrated on Sean.

_‘She’s not crazy.’_

* * *

 

Kylie didn’t like coming here, she didn’t need to. She knew that, her parents knew that, even the _doctor_ knew that. That didn’t stop them, but she knew why.

“Have you been taking your medication?” The doctor asked. She looked familiar, Mammy’s friend, if she remembered correctly. Kylie didn’t know her very well, but she was a nice enough woman.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“They don’t help."

“They won’t if you don’t take them.”

“I’ve tried, they don’t do anything.”

“Well, maybe we should get you on a different-“

“ _There’s nothing wrong with me._ ”

Silence fell over the two as they seemed to be caught in a staring contest, but Kylie knew that the doctor was too old for that, considered it ‘ _childish nonsense_ ’. No, she was trying to read her, but Kylie knew that she couldn’t. There was nothing more to be read.

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” She started again. “And you know that. So do Mammy and Daddy, and the teachers, _everyone._ ” She pointed out, causing the doctor to sigh and rub her forehead.

“So you know why we do this? Why you have to come here, why you _have to take your medication_?” The doctor stressed, looking her in the eyes once more.

“Because you’re scared. You all are.” Kylie began, looking back defiantly. “You’re scared of the bad men taking me away, the bad men hurting me.”

“Exactly-“

“But the bad men don’t know about me.”

“They will.”

“How do you know? Are you bad?” The doctor sighed at the child’s persistence, taking off her glasses to look her sincerely in the eyes.

“Do you think I’m bad?” She asked.

“No. I think you’re trying to help.” Kylie replied, honestly. Although she clearly felt awkward as she shifted in her seat. “But w _hy_?”

“Kyler, you’re not insane,” The woman began, causing the girl to beam up at her with a gap toothed grin. “you’re _special_. But there are, people, out there, bad people. If they found out that you were special, then they might try to trick you, or hurt you, or hurt your family. Do you understand?” The doctor asked. Kylie tilted her head, but ultimately nodded. “That’s why your parents are afraid, they don’t want to see you get hurt, to see people hurt _you_. That’s why we have to do this, so they don’t find out. _That’s why you have to take your medication._ ”

“ _But it doesn’t help.”_

Silence fell over the room as the two stared each other down, both just as determined to win the test of wills as the other. It was the doctor that cracked with yet another sigh.

“Listen, how about we make a deal.” The doctor suggested, getting a nod in reply. “I’ll clear you, say that it was an incorrect diagnosis, they happen all the time.” Kylie shot her another smile. The woman didn’t think the child entirely understood what she was saying, but probably understood enough. _No more medication._ “But you have to promise me something.”

“Anything.” The girl looked so honest, so _innocent._ The older woman wanted to cry.

Kylie was surprised when the kind doctor got off of her chair and knelt next to the young girl, taking both of her hands into her own gentle grip.

“If you ever lose control, if it becomes _too much,_ you promise me that you’ll run. Run far away from here, from your family. You run and find somewhere safe and don’t look back.”

“Why?” Kylie asked, wondering why she was being asked this, why the doctor was crying.

“Because the world isn’t kind to, people, like you. _Special_ people. They’ll want to hurt you, hurt _us_ , the people closest to you. I don’t want to see that happen, and I don’t think you do either.” The doctor said, causing Kylie to shake her head furiously, and the doctor to grin. “So you promise?”

“I promise."

When Kylie left that day, she was happier than she’d been in a while. The happiness clearly spread throughout her family, with her baby brother laughing away in his father’s arms, and her parents grinning, still living under false hope, a fantasy world.

Yes, the doctor knew why they’d sent Kylie to her, even when there was nothing that she could do to help, and they knew that. _Denial_. They didn’t want to believe it, couldn’t _accept_ it. So they grasped onto false hopes, made up stories in hopes that they would be right, that their guts were wrong.

But they knew better, just like she did, like _Kylie_ did. There was nothing wrong with her. That was why the doctor was alone, crying in her office as she watched them leave. They were happy, but for how long, she wasn’t sure.

_Because the WORLD wasn’t kind to the enhanced._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *a thaisce - (uh HASH-keh): Also “my treasure.” Irish endearment. 
> 
> Sorry if this is bad, I wrote this up just now and it's almost 2am and I have school tomorrow and UGH. So it isn't going to be the best anyway xD


	2. 2006

This wasn’t the first time that Kylie was up this late at night, or was it the early morning? At moments like these, she found it hard to tell. She knew that it wouldn’t be the last either. The voices plagued her, they always got worse at night, when she had nothing else to think about, nothing to _distract_ her.

Nothing could silence them either, Kylie would know, she had tried everything, at least everything she could currently do. From the childish act of covering her ears with her hands or a pillow, or taking sleeping pills, anything she could currently do to get help, to help _herself_. Because she wasn’t ready yet, she wasn’t sure if she ever would be, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to keep her promise.

But, maybe there was something else she could try, something else that just might work…

Kylie thought that she may as well try, it wasn’t like she had much left to lose. At this point, she was willing to do almost anything. With that in mind, she grabbed her phone from her bedside table, and turned to everyone’s best friend in times of questioning, Google.

* * *

 

“How did you sleep?”

“Alright.”

“Are you sure? You look –“

 _“I’m fine._ ”

“Alright, whatever you say, _a thaisce*._ ” Her dad quickly finished the argument, already knowing where it was going. They both did, it had become so common that it was practically a morning routine.

Kylie knew that he was just worried, she could hear it, _feel_ it. She never did look well rested anymore. But she wouldn’t admit that, admitting it meant keeping her promise, and she wasn’t ready to yet. She was sure she could help herself, she just needed time.

But she couldn’t ask yet, she didn’t want to arouse suspicion. Especially not with Sean around. So she purposefully ate her breakfast slowly, and waited for him and Mam to leave, since she gave him a lift to school. She could just walk, it wasn’t that far. Besides, she wasn’t in a rush.

“Kylie, you’re going to be late.” Her Dad pointed out, giving her a stern glare. Or, at least as stern as he could manage. She had always been a Daddy’s girl, and he was a big softie at heart. Most dads were.

“Is it true that alcohol dulls your senses?” Kylie blurted out. She probably should have thought it through more, but she could just as easily come up with an excuse if she needed to.

“Yeah, most drugs do. Why?” He was clearly suspicious, raised eyebrow and all.

Quick, excuses.

“They were just talking about it in school the other day, one of those ‘safety in life’ kind of classes, you know?” Kylie shrugged, hoping that she was at least somewhat convincing.

“And you didn’t believe them?” Still suspicious. Shit.

“Didn’t think alcohol was a drug.” Just act natural, calm, cool, collected.

“It’s a legal drug, like tobacco or medicine.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are they legal?”

“Well, medicine helps-“

“I know that, I meant alcohol and tobacco. If it’s just as bad for you, then why can you have them legally?” Kylie argued, knowing that he knew what she meant, that he was just being difficult. His grin gave it away.

“I don’t know, _a thaisce_. They just are. That’s how the world works.”

“It just doesn’t seem fair.” Crap, he was suspicious again, cover, cover! “I mean, it’s kind of like all or nothing, right?”

“I suppose.” Her Dad sighed. “But life’s not fair, is it?”

“No, it isn’t.”

* * *

 

School had been just as stressful as usual. Sometimes it wasn’t much better than sleep, since the voices were all around her, the thoughts and emotions trapping her in a seemingly never ending whirlpool. But at least she could lose herself in her work, or at least try, that usually helped, even if only a little. But during breaks? Lunch? Walking there in the morning and back home in the afternoon? Those were the worst times of the day.

The walk home seemed longer than usual, somehow. The day hadn’t been particularly stressful or anything, so she wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe it had something to do with the conversation with her Dad that morning, Kylie wouldn’t doubt it.

Not like it mattered. At that moment, all that mattered was that it was becoming too much, and Kylie didn’t want to do anything by accident, _hurt_ anyone by accident. That would mean that she lost control, and that would mean that she would have to keep her promise. So she did the only thing that seemed logical at the time, she jumped into the nearest alley way. Those were usually empty, right? Usually nice, and empty, and _quiet_.

Kylie didn’t hesitate to leap into the nearest one, lean against the wall in the deepest corner that she could find and cover her ears, as if it would help _at all_. Maybe if she was alone, it would go away, hopefully before anyone at home missed her.

“You looked stressed.”

The voice made her jump as she looked up, startled. Or, rather she looked down. Sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall across from her was someone who looked like a business man, suit and all. He had probably looked presentable at some point during the day, but he looked dishevelled as he took a drag from something that didn’t quite look like a cigarette, or even a cigar. It smelt funny, too.

“You want a hit?”

“Is, are you smoking weed?” Kylie asked.

“Do you have a problem with that?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No. Just, wondering why.”

“The high is, relaxing.” The man attempted to explain, taking another drag as he leaned his head against the wall behind and closed his eyes, exhaling the smoke again before replying. “Calms the mind, you know?” Kylie nodded, unsure of what else to do. He didn’t seem to notice. “You sure you don’t want a hit? You look like you need it.” He offered once more, gesturing towards her with the blunt.

“…Why not.”

* * *

 

Nights were always the worst. She was sure that she had mentioned that before, but this particular night was so bad that Kylie felt that it needed emphasis. It wasn’t louder than usual, there weren’t any more than she had almost grown use to either. No, it just felt, different, more _powerful_ , and Kylie hated it. _Power corrupts_ , wasn’t that the old saying? It had proven time and time again to be true, and Kylie refused to be the next example of that. Especially if it put her family in danger.

_“So you promise?”_

_“I promise."_

She’d been avoiding it for so long, but she knew that the time had come. The time for her to keep her word, her promise.

It had never taken so much will power for her to get out of bed, never taken so much energy just to walk. The journey to her parent’s bedroom seemed to take an eternity, when in reality it most likely took a few seconds.

For so long she had been concealing her powers instead of using them, so it took longer than she cared to admit to grab their minds from even the short distance from their bed to their bedroom door, but Kylie managed. She wasn’t quite sure how to do what she wanted, but she assumed she would just, _think_ it, maybe sift through their minds a little. It took her a few minutes, but she soon got the hang of it. She would have thought that it would be harder, removing particular parts from memories, removing _herself_ from her _parent’s_ memories. It hurt, but not as much as she thought it would.

Sean, however, was a different story. They’d always been close, even closer than herself and their Dad. Even now, after all these years, she felt the strong need to protect him, but more than that, she wanted him to be happy, for her _family_ to be happy, and she knew that they couldn’t be with her, not completely. They all knew what she was, what she was capable of, she didn’t want them constantly watching over her shoulder for her, constantly worrying about her, wasting their own lives away for the sake of her own. That should be her burden, and hers alone.

The thought gave her little comfort, little support in the act she was about to commit, but it was enough. But she couldn’t bear to leave Sean like this, not without a proper goodbye, even if he wouldn’t remember it. Kylie arrived in his room faster than she would have liked, and soon found herself kneeling next to his bed, gently stroking her head with one hand as he groggily opened his eyes, still obviously half asleep.

Good, that made this a little easier.

“…Kylie? What are you doing?” Sean asked, tired and confused.

“Promise me something.”

“Promise you what? What are yo-“ he began, but Kylie cut him off. She had to say what she needed to say, then go. She couldn’t let this drag on longer than necessary, if their – no, if _his_ parents woke up, it wouldn’t bode well for her.

“Promise me that you’ll live your life to the fullest, that you won’t be stupid, and that you’ll have a nice, normal life, with a normal family and a normal house and a normal job.” She was tearing up, she couldn’t afford to tear up. She had to be strong, for Sean, for their parents, for everyone who had been strong for her for so long. “But most of all, promise me that you won’t come looking for me, no matter what. Alright?”

“Kylie, wha-“

“ _Promise me._ ” By now Kylie had gripped his smaller hands in her own, and she squeezed them as she spoke. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get her point across as they stared each other down, both just as determined to win the test of wills, like a childish staring contest. But now, Kylie knew that she was stronger, didn’t doubt herself, couldn’t. And soon enough, her brother crumbled.

“I promise.”

“Thank you.” Kylie grinned, her tears finally slipping down her cheeks as she leaned down to gently kiss his temple. “Now, go back to sleep.”

Her words weren’t required, but with that simple kiss Sean was asleep and remembered nothing of his own promise, nothing of their conversation, nothing about his sister. And that was exactly what Kylie wanted. Her own promise had been so important, but had controlled her for so long, it had dictated her life since she made it. Now, when it was fulfilled, she would finally be free, as would those she made it to, even if they never knew anything about it, not even before that night. But Sean would be free too, free of his own promise, of the burden that she brought to their family. Free of _her_ , and Kylie could leave with some form of satisfaction knowing that he would lead a better life now that she was erased from it.

As she went to leave the house, she noticed a picture on the fire place in the living room, a picture with her in it. In fact, she didn’t even need to look much further to see another picture with her, and another, and another.

Could something as simple as a photograph restore their memories? Kylie couldn’t take that risk. Making sure that the inhabitants of the house remained asleep, she went on a hunt. A hunt for every picture of or with her in the entire house. If she couldn’t make them forget forever, then she could at least hold off the inevitable for as long as possible, and that was exactly what she planned to do.

When she finally left the house, with a rucksack full of photographs, she decided to walk around the entire town, and erase everyone’s memories of her, just in case anybody began asking questions. Even the small, yet consistent amount of power she had used back in her house – _old_ house – had expanded her abilities further, something which both amazed and terrified her.

 _“Because the world isn’t kind to, people, like you._ Special _people. They’ll want to hurt you, hurt_ _us_ _, the people closest to you. I don’t want to see that happen, and I don’t think you do either.”_

The doctor had been right, the world wasn’t kind to people like her. Being _special_ had brought her nothing but pain, grief and suffering, but she would let that hurt her family any more, her friends. It was her burden to carry, and hers alone.

_Because the WORLD isn’t kind to the enhanced._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *a thaisce - (uh HASH-keh): Also “my treasure.” Irish endearment.
> 
> Again, constructive criticism is welcome, as are any suggestions for improvement.


	3. 2007

Sometimes when she was asleep, Kylie would accidentally go into someone’s mind, their dreams, their subconscious. Sometimes it would be several people in one night, or just hearing several people’s thoughts. She hardly ever had a quiet, peaceful rest.

But this, this was different somehow.

She felt asleep, yet, at the same time awake? And rather than lying on a bed, it almost felt like she was floating? It was a strange feeling, to say the least, difficult to describe. She felt too groggy to feel much of anything else going on around her, but sleepy? Tired? No, not really.

“...stand by…” And the voices. They weren’t, _distant_ , like they usually were. No, they sounded, nearby? Like she was hearing them, but not really _hearing_ them.

“…3…” She wondered what they were counting down to. It sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“…2…” Had she been asleep long? Had she been asleep _here_ for long? In fact, where was here? Where _was_ she?

“…1…” Had they done this before? It seemed eerily familiar, in the way that sent chills up your spine, and not the good kind.

And then, Kylie couldn’t think anymore. She couldn’t concentrate. All that filled her mind was _pain_. An intense pain that sparked in her head and spread throughout her entire body, making her muscles tense and clearing her head for one gloriously _painful_ moment.

Suddenly, she was aware again, massively aware, more aware than she had been in a long time. She tried to open her eyes, but couldn’t. In fact, Kylie couldn’t bring herself to move at all. The only thing that seemed to be working was her mind, and with that, she reached out. It was her strongest muscle, after all.

_‘…amazing…’_

_‘…just as predicted…’_

_‘…probably hear us…’_

_‘…brain waves...’_

_‘…almost lunch...’_

_‘…Rapture…’_

There seemed to be quite a few people in the room, and despite how awake she suddenly felt, Kylie couldn’t bring herself to concentrate on just one person, just one train of thought. No, she felt full of energy, she felt the _need_ to look at them all, see how many she could listen to, and see what they were saying.

But then, the shocks came back, worse this time. Now, Kylie was aware of the strange, anti-gravity like feeling around her, although she still couldn’t place it. What she could place, however, was the electrodes attached to her head, and the oxygen mask that she had on. Was, was she in some sort of lab? How had she ended up there? Her memory failed her, and the next shock didn’t help at all.

Except, it did.

The shock caused her to let out the closest equivalent to a yelp she could, some sort of blast from her mind. She felt it hit something oval shaped around her and vibrate around for a moment before stopping. So she was encased? She tried again on her own, but couldn’t get it without the help of the shock.

That was how it went for a while, Kylie trying to grasp onto the feeling the shock created and then attempting to use it herself. The blasts caused by the shocks weren’t nearly enough, if she could just get it on her own, she could find the right frequency, or whatever the word was, if she could just…

… _got it._

It only took a single thought, and a wave of panic hit her as she felt herself being disconnected from various spots in her body. She heard the smashing of glass, the splash of water, and most importantly, she heard the screams.

Slowly blinking her eyes open, Kylie surveyed the room. She was certainly in some kind of lab, that much was obvious. She seemed to have at least knocked out some of who she could only assume to be scientists out, a few may even be dead, she wasn’t sure. Moving slightly, she heard cracking and squelching under her. Looking down, she saw that she was lying in a puddle of dark blue liquid and broken glass. Turning around, Kylie discovered that what she had been trapped in was some kind of giant test-tube like thing, like an e _xperiment_.

After removing the few electrodes that stayed stuck to her, as well as her oxygen mask, Kylie decided to make her move. She wouldn’t stay here forever, and whoever had decided that it would be a good idea to use her as their lab rat was going to _pay._

The door was locked. Shit. Kylie began to look around for some kind of key, or key card, or ID, or anything she could have used to open the door and get out. That was, until she remembered her new trick. Smirking, she began to test it out. It took another few tries, but she was soon able to blow it open, and apparently crush some security guards in the process.

Kylie didn’t even flinch at the sight of the blood splattered along the wall, that had also seemingly dragged across the floor behind them and the door, something she surely thought would have at least made her cringe. But for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to care, not anymore. All she cared about was the fact that there were probably more security around, and from the looks of it, they had guns.

Taking one from one of the corpses she had created, Kylie took a few moments to inspect it as she branched out to reach the other minds in the labs. Okay, so lots of guards, and the boss seemed to be, in the security room? Oh, he’d seen her escape, he wanted to be in the safest place. Poor sod, he wouldn’t be safe anywhere. It was difficult to hide from a telepath. Latching onto the minds of the security personnel, her smirk couldn’t help but widen.

They all seemed to wear the exact same uniform, almost anyway, so having them all reach down for their guns was easy. Some of their minds seemed to start fighting back as the lifted them to their heads, but she could easily overpower them. She barely had to even think about it anymore. Looking around for the nearest security camera, her grin only widened as she found it. Rather than looking into it, she pointed the gun at it. Time to make a point.

“You’re next.”

_BANG!_

The blood on her hands had just risen significantly, and the panic had shot up in the labs as the rest of the staff raced to leave, but Kylie didn’t care about the rest, she only cared about one, and as she made her way towards him, she had no problem simply pulling the cords in the brains of those she passed. They had been a part of this too, she couldn’t let them get away, could she? It wouldn’t be fair, wouldn’t be _right_.

He had been turning a corner when she ran into him, looking behind him in his paranoia as he stuffed something or another into his bag while walking. That was always the problem with other people, they missed the simplest of things, things that were right under their noses, _right in front of them._

“ _Boo_.” Kylie smirked, putting her hands on the sides of his head so her thumbs brushed his temples. It would be so easy for her to kill him, simply _pull the plug_ like she’d done with the others. But no, that would be too kind, the easy way out. No, he could get away with his precious statistics, but she would make sure he was haunted. Just like she had been, all those years ago, by a promise.

But it wouldn’t be a promise for him, oh no, it would be a memory, a _forgotten_ memory.

Kylie had to admit, she'd found wiping his memory _far_ easier.

* * *

 

“Sir, could you please recount what happened on October 7th, 2008?” The police officer asked again, clearly getting frustrated, but the man always answered the same.

“I’ve already told you! We, we had, _something_ , I don’t remember what. It, it killed the security guards, I’m sure of it! Then, then it got to me, and…nothing.”

“You previously described the deaths of the security personnel as a mass suicide, correct?”

“Yes, but-“

“Sir, you can’t blame a _person_ for someone else committing suicide, especially if you can’t even remember who they are.” The officer pointed out with a sigh.

“But it wasn’t a _person_.” The man stressed, leaning forward on the table as he did so.

“What was it then, a ghost?” The officer teased, making the man angry.

“Don’t make fun of me!” He growled at the officer, two of the other officers behind him moving forward slightly, but the apparent ring leader gestured for them to stop.

“Sir, you have admitted to illegal experimentation on a human being. You will be taken into custody and be put on trial. Everything and anything you say from now on can and will be used against you.” The officer casually said, the sentence being a far too familiar one.

“What?!” The man questioned, outraged as he was being cuffed. “But it wasn’t _human_! It attacked us, messed with our heads, I’m telling you!” His ramblings were soon lost to distance as his resisting body was dragged away. Sighing once more, the officer reached up to touch the earpiece he was wearing.

“Any luck?” His superior asked over the enclosed line.

“None, just the same thing again.”

“Dammit.”

“…Do you think it is?” The officer asked, hesitantly, as if ashamed of the idea.

“Think what?”

“…That it could be a ghost?” There was a moment of silence that caused the officer to sweat. This was it, he had made himself look like an idiot in front of his boss.

To his amazement, he did get a reply.

“No.”

“Then what do you think it is?”

“I think it’s an enhanced.”

“An enhanced?”

“Yes.”

“Bu-“ The officer began, only to be cut off by his superior.

“Good day, agent.”

_Click_

* * *

 

Coulson sighed as he leaned forward against his desk, rubbing his hands along his face. This search had gotten them nowhere, and they’d been looking for years.

Opening the woefully empty document they did have, he decided that they may as well give the mission - well, it was more of a project now, he supposed - a name.

_June 23 rd, 2009_

_Codename: Ghost_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you liked it!


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